Whatever Happened To The '90s Rock Bands You Used To Love

The '90s were a hell of a time for music. You've got the coming of Britpop, grunge's heyday, a flourishing hip-hop scene, innovation in EDM and, of course, the rise of the Spice Girls. It may not have been as blindingly audacious as the '80s, and you could argue that it never quite hit the dizzy commercial heights of the '00s, but the '90s was a stellar enough decade in its own special way.

The dominance of alt-rock naturally led to success for some of the genre's best ever artists. While the biggest of these '90s rock bands — Oasis, Blur, Radiohead, Foo Fighters, Pearl Jam, and so on — have managed to utilize their momentum to catapult themselves into even more spectacular careers in the ensuing years, some '90s rock bands have, sadly, fallen off the radar. Some disbanded, some were beset by tragedy, and others have managed to persevere, touring and recording to this day. Every one of them, however, can easily be counted among the finest acts of one of music's finest decades.

The Verve (whose biggest hits include "Bitter Sweet Symphony" and "The Drugs Don't Work") were one of Britain's most successful rock acts during the '90s. They were part-Britpop, part-shoegaze, and won numerous BRIT Awards, topped the charts repeatedly and were nominated for a Grammy in 1999 for "Bitter Sweet Symphony."

While they may have put out some of the most recognizable songs of the decade, things haven't exactly been smooth sailing for the Verve. They've split up three times in their 19 years on the scene, and, since the most recent split (in 2009), it's been reported that guitarist Nick McCabe and bassist Simon Jones aren't on speaking terms with front man Richard Ashcroft — and haven't been since 2008. Prior to this, the band had split in 1999, reunited in 2007, and then quickly succumbed to the excesses of partying and in-fighting that had ended them almost a decade before. Jones and McCabe have since gone on to form their own band, Black Ships, who nowadays are known as Black Submarine. They're still going, and Ashcroft has had decent success in his own solo career.

Dave Matthews Band formed in 1991 in Charlottesville, Virginia. By the end of the decade, they had won Grammy awards and nominations, sold out huge venues across America and sold millions of albums worldwide, with even their live albums managing to go platinum. In 2003, Dave Matthews himself and lead guitarist Tim Reynolds headed out on an intimate acoustic tour without the rest of the band. Months later, Matthews released his first solo album, which netted him another Grammy. The band never split, however, and continued to tour and release music without incident until 2008, when long-time member and saxophonist LeRoi Moore died after complications suffered from an ATV accident.

The band's next album, Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King, was named in honor of and inspired by, Moore. It went platinum and was nominated for two Grammys in 2010. In 2018, the band's violinist Boyd Tinsley announced his hiatus from the group to focus on his health, but was subsequently fired when allegations of sexual abuse were levied against him. Despite this, the band is going strong, with a ninth studio album released in 2018.

Sonic Youth is a name synonymous with '90s rock bands, and perhaps even with the '90s. Their brand of noisey, post-punk music places them up there with some of the best rock bands of the decade. Although they emerged during the '80s, they found true commercial success in the '90s, hitting such highs as a headline set at Lollapalooza, a number of critically acclaimed experimental albums, and a guest spot on The Simpsons.

This momentum carried on through much of the '00s, branching out from their initial sound and collaborating with such legends as John Paul Jones and Yamantaka Eye. They weren't entirely safe from the tribulations of their third decade, however — one particular lowlight includes receiving a rare 0.0 score from Pitchfork for their album NYC Ghosts & Flowers. In 2011, the band came to an end when both Kim Gordon and Thurston Moore separated after 27 years of marriage. Other members, such as Lee Ranaldo, have moved on to solo projects.

Mazzy Star was probably the best female-led dreamy alt-rock-folk act of the '90s. They were formed from the disbanded members of a group called Opal, with added vocalist Hope Sandoval. Performing as Mazzy Star, they then released their first album, She Hangs Brightly. It was their second LP, however, which featured the track "Fade into You," the song that put Mazzy Star on the map. Their third album, Among My Swan, was released in 1996. After that, they leaped back off the map, going on hiatus to avoid being creatively controlled and drained by their label.

They briefly reunited in 2000 for a tour of Europe but didn't do much else until 2010, when they reformed for good. In 2013, they released Seasons of Your Day, their fourth album, which achieved both commercial and critical success. Their comeback was beset with tragedy, however, after the death of drummer Keith Mitchell in 2017. The band reunited on stage in 2018, and released a new EP around the same time.

Suede is likely the most successful band on this list, both during the '90s and throughout the ensuing decades. They were one of the Britpop greats, often counted up there among Blur, Oasis, and Pulp in the pantheon of British '90s rock bands. Their self-titled debut album topped the charts and won a Mercury Prize, and the band continued to see success even after guitarist and vocalist Bernard Butler left the band in 1994.

Things soured during the 2000s, however, when their label shut down. Their later releases were afflicted by poor commercial performance and health and drug problems within the band. Finally, they broke up in 2003. In 2010, however, Suede reunited (albeit without Bernard Butler) and a number of incredibly successful shows inspired the band with a growing enthusiasm for touring. Their most recent albums, Night Thoughts and The Blue Hour, were released in 2016 and 2018 respectively. In 2013, Jeremy Allen of The Guardian called Suede's comeback an example to other Britpop acts of how to nail a reunion. If only they'd been around when the Beatles broke up.